Twin like brats
by Scarlet.Roads
Summary: Komui s potions were lethal in some ways and created messes. Only this time, it's a mess that won't be so easily solved. Hopefully, the Order is ready for what they caused. Cross certainly is going to enjoy watching it unfold.
1. So, it begins

Scarlet-Road: Well, this was just a little scene that popped into my head. I mean there are so many stories about Allen reverting into a child, but none were quite like … _this_. So, please enjoy this little story that came to be. I am not sure about continuing it, so tell me what you think about this!

Disclaimer: I don´t own DGM!

* * *

Komui was a _dumbass_.

Who made questionable substances and stored them in an office that could only be described as a large mess? The insane supervisor of the Headquarters was the answer. Cross had known that the man had a brilliant mind if he put effort into it, otherwise he wouldn´t have gotten near the Order in a ten-meter radius. That he was insane was to be expected since everybody at the Order couldn´t stay completely sane.

However, even _this_ situation put everything the man had done before to shame.

The day had begun normal enough for him. Drinking expensive wine while smoking, doing his usual routine until he walked pass the office. Loud whispers had gotten his attention and he vaguely heard the name of his apprentice. No matter what people thought, Cross _did_ care about his idiot, so he took a peek.

And almost bit his tongue off to keep himself from laughing.

Timcampy had fluttered around his head and he barely got the command out to let him see how it happened.

* * *

" _Lavi! Can you help me with this instead of making fun of me?!" Allen said, throwing a side-eyed glare at the grinning redhead who was too busy cracking jokes. The pile in his hands was quite heavy and he would like some help._

 _The bookman apprentice snorted. "But Al-len! That pile is taller than you!" He burst into a fit of giggles and Allen´s eye twitched. It was true, the papers he was carrying were indeed taller than him by a few inches. Muttering lowly underneath his breath, the white-haired young man walked across the room to sort the papers. Link was busy helping Lenalee give out coffee since she had asked him and there was no way he would let a lady carry such an alarming number of beverages._

" _Lavi! Go help Allen!" Lenalee called out, shooting the redhead a warning look and he hurried to do so. Letting out a "Yes, mam!" before attempting to take the half of the pile._

 _Allen´s shoulders slacked in relief feeling the weight get lifted of him, literally. "Thank you."_

" _No problem, beansprout!" Lavi said, grinning from ear to ear as he walked over from directions of Reever on where to put the papers. Just as he was getting ready to set them down, he tripped over something on the floor, it was hard to tell what it was since the whole office was covered with papers and other things he was better of not knowing what it was. Papers flying through the air, he accidently crashed against a shelf which happened to be the one Allen was near, setting down papers._

 _The shelf shook dangerously, a bottle falling from the top, shattering upon making contact with Allen´s head. Two colored liquid stained white strands, one invisible the other pitch black as he yelped in surprise. Hastily getting of the ground when silence befell the room, Lavi hurried over to his soaked friend that paled to the color of his hair._

" _Lavi…please tell me that wasn´t made by Komui…" Allen whispered slowly, horror etched onto his face. Laughing nervously, the redhead held up his hands to pacify his friend._

" _A-Ah…just stay calm, Allen. Do you feel different? You are still the same though! Maybe it didn´t do anything-." Just as the words were said, Allen began to sway, sinking down onto his knees, bracing his hands onto the ground. Mixed cries of alarm rung out as the teen blinked, as though he couldn´t see anything._

" _Brother! What was in that bottle!" Lenalee put the coffee down, rushing over so fast it was likely to think she used her Innocence. Lavi held her back from touching Allen, reasoning that whatever was affecting their friend, who wasn´t responding to their calls could still affect her too._

 _Komui ignored the disapproving stares as he shrunk in on himself. "I-I don´t know! It was a failure anyway, so I didn´t think it would do something…maybe because Allen´s cursed…or an Exorcist?"_

 _The last part obviously wasn´t supposed to be heard judging from the way the scientist laughed when the others glared at him._

" _Walker! Can you hear me?" Link tried to get a reply out of his charge, muttering curses underneath his breath when the other started crying blood from his left eye. Pulling back at the sudden change, he pushed down the slight panic that threatened to consume him._

" _Mister Lee! What was in that bottle!? Walker, it´s going to be all right-." Giving Allen a cloth to press against his eye to stop the blood flow, the sudden cloud of purple smoke taking him by surprise as he coughed, stumbling back._

 _A minute passed until the smoke was gone, leaving behind more questions as the occupants of the room stared in open shock at what was laying on the spot Allen had been in just seconds before._

" _Do you…do you see_ _ **two**_ _children there as well or have I finally snapped?" Reever said, voice low as he eyed the two children that seemed to be about five and eight laying on the ground. They had different clothes and hair colors, one a dark brown that was an unruly curly mess and the other had auburn hair pulled up into a spiky ponytail. Both had fair skin, though dirt and bruises mattered the face of the smaller boy._

" _We can see them too." Lavi said, stunned and jaw slack. His mind went into over-drive trying to understand what happened. The possibilities were endless, considering it had to do with Komui._

 _The bigger boy stirred, revealing dark yellow eyes with a hint of brown. The boy sat up, face twisted into wonder and confusion as he looked around, before his eyes caught sight of the smaller child besides him. They widened dramatically before blinking and reaching out to brush bangs away with careful and gentle fingers. The shorter haired boy glanced around the room once again, eyes lingering on them now. Face blank, he watched them like a hawk, staying silent._

 _Lavi felt a shiver go down his spine at the strange eyes and that familiar face._

" _W-Walker…?" Link tried, carefully taking a small step forward. The boy narrowed his eyes, pulling the smaller child towards him, holding him lightly to his side in a one-armed embrace that screamed protectiveness._

" _Hello, there. I am Komui Lee. We mean you no harm. What´s your name?" Komui smiled gently, crouching down after walking around his desk to be on eye-level with the boy, who cocked his head to the side, not answering._

 _The fact that there was no emotion on his face made them warier._

* * *

After calming himself down, Cross nodded at Timcampy. This was too good to miss, so he walked into the room ignoring the exclamations at his sudden appearance and smirked at the heated gaze sent his way from the kid.

Maybe that insane scientist finally did something right.

"General Cross! You are ." Link began, getting up from his position on the floor and Cross waved a hand, brushing him off with a rude snort. "Save it, kid. And take out that stick in your ass while you are at it."

Link gaped, face flushing slightly at the vulgar language. "I am not a child!"

Cross rolled his eyes, resisting the urge to light up a cigarette. He truly was surrounded by idiots. How Allen managed to stand the guy, let alone sleep in the same room as him, was a mystery to him.

"Compared to me, you are. So, shut up and let me explain what most of you are wondering about. Also, you may want to back of these two a bit, since the evil-eyed rascal there might not appreciate your concern. How´s it going?" Cross voiced his amusement at the situation as a dark glint flashed through these yellow-brownish eyes before it was replaced by the blankness again.

Not so good then, Cross made a mental note to tease the other a bit more in the future. Revenge went well with his wine.

"Are you mute now? Last time I checked you were quite _good_ with your words." Okay, maybe he was going a bit too far now, judging from the murderous glare sent his way, but he couldn´t resist. Not while knowing the other couldn´t do anything.

"G-General? Could you please explain to us where Allen is?" Lenalee stepped forward, eyes big and watery as she jutted out her bottom lip. Cross sighed heavily, regretting his weakness against good-looking females as he took out a cigarette, ignoring Komui´s cries in the background.

This would take some time, though he couldn´t wait to see what would happen if the other child in the room woke up.

That was something he wouldn´t miss for anything, be it woman or the victory of the war.


	2. The brat wakes up

Scarlet-Road: First of all, thank you for reading this story. Now, I am glad to hear that you enjoy it and are excited to see how it goes. I hope I don´t disappoint. (laughs nervously.) This was actually seperated into two chapters at first, but it was too short, so I just put it together.

If some of you have any ideas on what you would like to read, feel free to make suggestions. I can´t promise it will happen, since I do have some sort of plot …somewhere. But if I can insert it somewhere, then I will.

Who knows, maybe we will get to see Red´s perspective in the future~?

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don´t own DGM

* * *

"My idiot apprentice is right there." Cross pointed at the unconscious child, relishing in the frowns and shocked expressions his answer had caused. Perhaps, he could have been a bit more sensitive, but it was his nature to be blunt. It wasn´t his fault if others couldn´t appreciate that.

"There are similarities… but who´s _he_ , then? He doesn´t look like a possible split personality." Lavi spoke, eyeing the brunette with a curious gleam. There was something off with that kid, he just couldn´t put his finger on it.

Cross snorted at the term, glancing at icy yellow before taking a long drag of his cigarette. "My guess is, that whatever was in that potion, made my idiot apprentice revert back into his child like self. The kid with him was probably close in contact with him and got dragged here too. Who knows."

That wasn´t exactly a lie, a half-truth if one asked and knew about the circumstances. Understanding filled the faces all around and Cross blew out the smoke. Good to know that they followed the explanation. Stepping forward, he was rewarded with the kid pulling his apprentice closer.

Good to know the other was still a manipulative little bastard. When in Rome, do as the Romans do.

"Stay…stay back! Don´t come closer!" The child cried out, shrinking back with wild eyes as his frame began to shake. His grip tightened causing his knuckles to turn white. Cross inwardly applauded the other for his quick adjustment and acting ability.

"Relax, kid. Nobody will hurt you here. Why don´t you tell me your name? Otherwise, we won`t get anywhere." Biting his lip, lips pulled into a scowl as the child eyed him with suspicion.

"You first." The childish command made him chuckle as he nodded. "I am General Cross Marian, now you, brat."

"…Neah. No last name." The child answered after a moment of hesitation. Cross nodded, taking a step back to create distance, Neah´s shoulder relaxing a bit. Throwing his cigarette into the air, Timcampy ate it, before he flew towards Neah, who flinched back with wide eyes.

The others watched in awe as Timcampy began to snuggle up to the unknown kid, petting his cheeks with his wings. Lavi was sure, if it had the ability to purr it would have done it. The child brightened up at the sight, squirming a bit before he reached out, petting the small ball carefully.

"Hello. Who are you?" Neah asked, smiling as the golem nuzzled itself into his hair. Lavi grinned at the cute sight, clearing his throat to get attention. "That´s Timcampy, it´s a golem. Pretty cool, huh?"

Neah only nodded, content with the way the golem used him as pillow.

"Take that as a sign that the kid´s safe. Tim wouldn´t go near him otherwise." Cross gruff voice interrupted the scene and Link stepped forward, a frown marring his face. His posture was rigid and eyes stern.

"General Cross. Please leave the room. You are prohibited from contacting Allen Walker-."

"Oh, _please_. Like the kid will have any idea who I am. You care for the idiot at least a bit, right? So, back off for now. I am the only one who knows how to deal with him anyway, with exception of the other brat in the room." Cross groaned. The blond was annoying, but got the warning with the way Cross fingered his Innocence. Though he didn´t look too pleased.

"What do you mean "deal with him"? It´s Allen!" Lenalee said, a puzzled frown visible on her face as she eyed the small child in concern. The clothes were dirty and she couldn´t believe that Allen would like to wake up like that. Cross chuckled at the clueless question.

"That brat isn´t the Allen you know. Trust me, you are better off keeping your distance." The warning brought up different questions.

"General Cross what is that supposed to mean-."

"Huh? You keep talking like Allen is some disease ."

"Could you answer questions like a normal person, Cross? "

Oh, the brat´s eyes were open now. Watching him scramble away from Neah was funny as he tripped over himself, successfully drawing the attention of the room.

Let the fun begin. Honestly, the boy didn´t need anyone to teach him how to be a Clown when he was a show of his own already.

"Where ta fuck am I?" Icy violet eyes slashed through the crowd of people like a knife through butter. Several of them flinched at the rough tone, expecting a soft-spoken voice. Cross grinned from where he stood, not yet stepping closer. This version of Allen wouldn´t take kindly to that.

"You are at the Black Order, Allen." Lenalee, bless that sweet girl, crouched down with a kind smile. She stared at the blinking boy, who made no visible sign of acknowledgement. Lavi seeing the blank face, hurried to explain, introducing each of them afterwards.

Cross watched the signs as the clarification got more reactions from the boy he found so entertaining. Stiff shoulders as hard as stone, one hand clenched into a fist as disbelief spread across that dirty face.

"A church…Cosimov sold me ta a freaking church! What ta actual fuck?! That wanker!" Red snarled, looking torn between murderous and pained as he grabbed at his hair in destress. His voice was shrill and Lavi recoiled at the violent reaction, not to mention the dirty mouth.

"Brat, calm down. We won´t burn you on a stick or some shit like that. That´s right, that guy sold you to me and from now on you are my charge and responsibility." Cross pushed the flare of anger down at the flinch he got in return. If he didn´t know that that shitty circus was long gone, he would have made sure it vanished of the earth, personally.

"Same goes for the other brat." Neah pursed his lips, but nodded like an afterthought.

"Ya look suspicious as fuck. Why ta fuck would I agree ta that? Like hell I will work for a fucking church. I havn´t even heard what kind of job I hav´ ta do." Cross rolled his eyes at the stubborn refusal, walking over to the brat and crouching down. Allen had been eyeing the door for quite some time now and there was no way he would let his major entertainment leave.

"You do what _I_ say, and nobody will touch you, that I promise. You will get clothes and food for free here as much as you can eat. Also, brat. I take good care of things I own, so don´t take shit from others that aren´t _me_. You got that?" Cross saw the consideration on the boy´s face and was surprised. He had expected it to take a lot longer to convince Allen while he was like that.

"General Cross, Allen isn´t an object!" Lenalee said, frowning disapprovingly at him while she put her hands on her hips. She looked fierce as she defended her friend and Cross once more rolled his eyes again.

Like that brat would have anything against being objectified. Red knew who he belonged to, to whoever bought him. That wasn´t different from the circus, so the kid wouldn´t have anything against it. As long as he had work and got feed, the brat wouldn´t complain about much when it got to work.

"Yer eyes are going ta stay like that if ya won´t stop doin´ that. Ya will look stupid as fuck." Red said flatly, and Cross wasn´t even aware of it as he reached out to flick the brat on the forehead, ignoring the flinch and the way hands scrambled up to protect his face as he held the small red bruise that slowly formed.

"Don´t get fucking cheeky with me, brat. Rule number one, don´t insult me. Better write it down, before your tiny brain forgets it." Cross had to admit that the glare being send his way would have made lesser men shrink on themselves with their tail between their legs. Sadly, Cross wasn´t one of those.

"Does that mean we are allowed to insult others?" Neah asked. He had stood up from the floor and slowly walked over to them, hands in his pockets as he regarded Cross with curiosity.

"Yeah, do what you want. I don´t fucking care." Watching these yellow eyes blink at him, Cross didn´t like the way the lips twitched into a small smile. That look was familiar and that could only spell trouble for him.

"You were mistaken." Neah turned to look at Red, who scowled at him. He opened his mouth, getting ready to spill out curses from the way his normal hand curled into a fist, but was beaten to it by the other child. Cross had a feeling that he wouldn´t like what would come out of that mouth.

"He already looks dumb, I doubt it could get worse."

That little…

If Timcampy wasn´t baring his teeth at him like a mother protecting her children, Cross would have taken that brat and thrown him out of the window. Maybe shot him with judgement to see if that would make the bastard reconsider who he was talking to.

From the way the other spoke to the Earl, Cross had little hope.

Red snorted, lips not pulled into a smile but at least, he looked like less angry and defensive than before as he observed the other child, who wasn´t trying to step any closer. Maybe it was because Neah was a child that Red had his guard a little lowered. Probably thought that if the other tried anything, he would beat him to a pulp. Would have been true if that child wasn´t who he was.

"Good to see that you two already have the lines down for being apprentices of Cross! Now, now, why don´t you two come here to let me check you over?" Komui said kindly, gesturing with a hand to come closer. Lavi fought hard to keep himself from grinning at the way the children interacted with Cross. Two answers rung out simultaneously.

" _No_."

" _Fuck_ no."

Hard to guess who answered in what way. Komui´s smile became strained at the harsh rejection and he laughed nervously.

"Walker, that vulgar language is expected from General Cross, not from you. So, please ." Link´s brows were furrowed at the language the young man used. Allen rarely cursed and it was strange to see a child spew out curses like they were his mother language. Knowing Red, that probably was the case, Cross thought with a snort.

"What ta fuck are ya calling me?" Red didn´t look to pleased at how he was getting referred to and pushed his shoulders out. Confusion was visible on every face inside the room as Lavi spoke up.

"Allen, Allen Walker. Isn´t that your name?" From the way Red´s face twisted into a dark sneer that was the wrong thing to ask. The child bristled, eyes wide and furious as he shook with barely suppressed rage.

"Who ta fuck told ya that?! Was it that fucking Bastard of a Clown?! Walker was the name of that freaking insane pussy of a Clown! I swear every single one of them is fucked up! Did…Did he name me after his freaking dog?!" Red was spiting fire as he glared at the redhead with the eyepatch, looking like he wanted to break something, preferably one of the two clowns that made his life difficult.

Most of them thought that he would win too.

"W-What´s your name then?" Lenalee was quick to step in, trying to pacify the raging child. Cross was surprised that Komui hadn´t tried to give his little idiot a muzzle for speaking in such a way while his little sister was in the room.

Little Allen crossed his arms above his chest, one slightly slower than the other which was noted by the other people in the room. He made sure that nobody could see his hand as he stuck up his nose, wrinkles appearing on his forehead. "Red. Got a problem with that, missy?"

Komui frowned at the tone directed at his sister but kept his mouth shut. What a relief to see that people were slowly staring to notice the difference between this Allen and their version.

"N-No! It´s a beautiful name! It …ah…suits you." Red simply raised an eyebrow at the attempt to compliment him. The dry look of sarcasm so present on his face, Cross had to hand it to him. The poor girl flushed lightly, looking down at the ground in shame and embarrassment.

"Why don´t you get cleaned up, you two? We can talk about that check-up, later. Also, Red. You may want to let me take a look at you, since our Head-nurse is…something else." Komui began to search through his papers and Cross took that as a clue to step in.

"Brat one and two, follow me." Cross simply walked out of the room, confident that they would follow. Hearing footsteps trailing after him, he began to muse. Calling both of them brat would only later result in confusion. He´d think about what to call them when he had time to spend. For now, brat would have to do.

"Are ya ready ta tell me what I hav´ ta do, now?" Red kept looking around, walking closely by Cross, almost vanishing underneath his cloak. It concealed him from the curious gazes from the people they passed. Neah walked near the temperamental boy, barely glancing at the other people.

Cross glanced at him before staring forward again. "You will have to pay of my debt." Timcampy, who was the only one who had gotten a wary glance from the redhead and nothing more and was actually allowed to touch him, showed him a hologram of the debts.

"What!? I won´t even live long enough ta pay all of that off!" Red gritted his teeth, staring wide-eyed at the many zeros. Even if he couldn´t count that high, he was sure nobody had such an absurd amount of money.

"Too bad. You better get started then. Because you only get to leave if everything´s paid." Cross had to admit that was mean, but at least the brat wouldn´t run of that way. And with the way it was going, Allen _would_ manage to pay his debts of, with how many times he reverted to a child. The boy would be older than some of the Noahs if it continued like that.

"I hope ya choke on yer wine, fucker." Red muttered, dragging his feet as he glared holes into Cross´s coat. Cross ruffled his hair, ignoring the way his hand was harshly slapped away. "I will wait for you in hell then."

For once, Red had no come back.


	3. Chapter 3

Scarlet-Road: Ready for the next chapter? I hope you enjoy it!

As to if the Earl is going to find out about this...well, you will just have to wait and see, ne?

On with this!

Disclaimer: I don´t own DGM!

* * *

Fuck his life, fuck Cosimov and certain psycho clowns. Most of all _fuck_ Mana Walker and this hellhole of a church.

A _church_!

Red still couldn´t believe it. How one of these Bastards managed to sell him to one with his arm was still a mystery. The nutty one had usually followed him, trying to get him to talk to him and called him "Allen". Wasn´t his fault that the dog of the man died, and maybe he had been kind and earned himself _a bit_ of respect from Red, which instantly vanished when he woke up to find himself inside a _church_ of all things.

Red hoped the man would walk into traffic now that no one was there to snap him out of his episodes. If he was one thing it was petty and vengeful next to angry and bitter. So, what if the man had been the only person Red held some tiny spark of affection for? The man was gone, nowhere in sight now. Wouldn´t matter now and he didn´t feel sad or hurt about it, because that would have meant he _cared_ about that psycho and that was impossible.

Red knew better than that.

"Brat, just clean up already. You´re filthy. Don´t make such a large drama about that arm of yours. I saw it and okay, it´s weird as fuck. Who cares?" Cross, the man who had to be one of the biggest assholes he had met groaned, trying to push him towards the bath. Red stiffened and held his arm behind his back.

Words were meaningless to him. The man tried to give him debts that were impossible to pay off, which Red had _no_ intention of paying for him. He wanted to grow up as fast as possible, get stronger so that he could live a better life and get away from pain and misery. There was _no way_ he would stay here, not with so many weird and insane people running around. Also, it was still a _church_. Red would lay low for a while, try to explore all possible escape routes before running off and never come back again.

It was only a matter of time.

"Certainly not you, Marian. With that mask of yours." Neah, if he picked the name up correctly said. His eyes were one of the strangest colors he had seen, they reminded him of the insane clown. Exactly the same shade. Not that Red could talk about weirdness.

Okay, he could and would, it was no one´s fucking business if he runs his mouth.

That child was …creepy. Not normal in a sense. Barely showing real emotions while they were with others aside from obvious acting. The air around him was colder and thick with danger. Red could read people like the back of his hand and he instantly knew that the other was not to be taken lightly. For now, he would keep everything to himself, since there was no one to tell to anyways.

"Brat, watch it. Be glad I even covered for you. A deal´s a deal." Cross gruff voice held no real heat as he leaned against the wall, watching them. Neah hummed, eyes glistering with something dark as his lips twitched up slightly.

"True. I got lucky it seems. Now, Red. The others think that we know each other, so it would be in our best interest to keep it that way." Suddenly being addressed, Red felt a sneer creeping up his face. No matter what others said, he knew how and when to pick his fights, so he nodded.

"Fine. But if ya think I will be all buddy-buddy with ya, yer greatly mistaken." Neah eyed him with an emotion he couldn´t pin-point and he returned the stare. As if he would back down from someone just a head taller than him. Also, he was still pissed.

"Don´t worry, that´s the last thing I would expect. Now, let´s get cleaned up, shall we?" Walking into the bath, Red shot one last glare at the tall bastard before trailing after the taller boy. The room was clean and big enough to be one of those rooms that were used by nobles. He´d never seen anything quite like that before, and he had no idea how to use showers.

"Do you need help?" A smooth voice interrupted him as he tried to figure out how to get water to clean himself. Jumping slightly, he frowned at the other boy. Neah was out of his clothes, standing in only his underwear as he glanced with visible amusement between him and one of the showers.

Red was slowly staring to think he was related to that insane Walker. Both had personality switches and mode swings. Neah lacked empathy and was down-right uncanny and in the next moment he showed real emotions that weren´t causing you to shiver.

"Fuck off! Why are ya talkin´ all of a sudden? Earlier ya were like some creepy Shadow, only movin´ and not speakin´." Red felt the need to point out the behavior of the other. Who knows maybe the other was one of these people that wasn´t aware of how he appeared to others and would stop.

Fantastic, now he was beginning to go insane himself. This place was bad influence.

Neah tilted his head to the side, mess of hair bouncing with the movement. Yellow eyes weren´t blinking, just staring at him. "I don´t like people." The other admitted after the uncomfortable silence that befell them.

"No shit. That much was obvious. Why are ya talkin´ ta me, then?" Red rolled his eyes, unbuttoning his shirt with one hand. The pause between the answers was only making the creepy-factor shot higher.

"You are different. I hate humans, but not you. Cross is …okay." The last part was said in annoyance and partly disgust, but Red was still a bit overwhelmed with the first part of the sentence. The other wasn´t lying, he was sure of that, but…

"Thanks. From someone as creepy as ya, that means a lot." Neah blinked at his sarcastic answer before he chuckled. Red had no idea what was so funny about his answer and chalked it up to the insanity of the other.

Better not question it, otherwise he´d end up going mad too.

* * *

People from central tended to be annoying and Cross´s patience was slowly running on thin ice. That snoot-nosed Inspector brat had pounded on his door and demanded that he´d leave his apprentice. There was a limit on how irritating people could be and he was slowly reaching his.

"For the last time, I won´t leave my apprentice in this state. You don´t know what you are dealing with, trust me when I say that _you can´t handle him_." Link didn´t seem impressed, standing stiff and tall as he shook his head.

"Orders are orders. You are not to be in contact with ." Cross finally snapped, throwing his glass of wine at the blond who dodged it barely. Allen would have made a fuss about it if he had been here, but this time the thought didn´t even make him grin.

"These orders of yours cost you your _precious_ siblings, or did they not? What do you think is going to happen if your _boss_ finds out about this? Do you really want to exposure _a child_ to the harsh and unforgiving ways of the Order? Allen told me that you were better than that, apparently he was greatly mistaken." Each word was harshly spat out, as the Inspector stepped back as if struck at the verbal assault. Conflict brewed in these eyes before the resolution came back.

"That does not matter. My job is it to watch over him and observe him. _Always_. You are not to be in contact with him-." Just as Cross was getting ready to shoot the stubborn fool in front of him, the door opened, and his two charges shuffled out of the room, hair still dripping wet.

Red eyed the stain on the carpets before his face darkened as he _rounded_ on Cross. "Ya shitty Asshole! Don´t make _more_ debts if ya want them paid off!" It was cute, the way the boy was still flushed from the hot water and the way his hair, now redder as all the dirt was washed out, hung into his face, no longer pulled up into that bird-nest ponytail.

Cross wanted to reach out to pinch a cheek only to see how the boy would react. Probably bite his fingers off.

"Hey, you." Red rudely addressed the stunned Crow. Link crouched down on one knee, resting his arm on it as he gestured for his mission object to continue. Red´s face was clean of emotion and Cross was curious to see what the other would say.

"If ya needed to watch me and there´s somethin´ wrong with me, wouldn´t yer boss take it out on ya? Cause it´d be yer fault." Red´s eyes were sharp, daring the other to disagree. Cross couldn´t help himself.

He laughed.

Of course, the brat would have ears dropped. Cross couldn´t keep the proud smirk off his face even if he tried.

Link had paled to a new shade of white, no doubt thinking about the punishment he would face if this got out. The church wasn´t kind to Exorcist who made mistakes, normal humans were out of questions.

"How about a deal? Nobody tells Levllie about this and you won´t watch the brat twenty-four seven? Just let me watch him and if anything goes wrong, I will take the blame, sounds good? _Good_." Cross opened the door and pushed the shell-shocked Inspector out, slamming the door into his face. Turning around, he half-heartedly tried to glare at the brats, though it was pointless with his grin.

"Why did you help me? You still have to pay of the debts." His little idiot had the nerve to snort, looking at Cross as if he thought he was utterly stupid. "I didn´t do it for ya. I just didn´t want another stalker."

"Listening in on other people´s conversation is rude, you know."

"So is shovin´ yer debts on me, you useless prick!"

"He´s got you there, Marian." Neah spoke, yellow eyes seemingly glowing in the dim-lit room. Cross did the thing most adults would do, he gave him the finger. There was a knock on the door after the footsteps faded. A red mop of hair peeked inside, carrying bundles of clothes in his arms.

"Aww! How cute!" Lavi cooed, stepping inside and holding out the clothes for the boys to take. Red snatched one pair out of his hands while Neah took it more carefully. They shared a glance before returning to the bathroom to change out of their old clothes they´d worn after they showered.

"Stupid Bookman apprentice. go and tell Komui I will bring the brats in a few minutes." Lavi saluted and with a shot of "Yes, Sir!" he rushed out of the room. Sighing, Cross wanted nothing more than a bottle of wine right now.

"Hey brats, dry your hair while you are at it. I won´t walk around with two drowned dogs." Cross winced at the wording when he heard a muffled shut of " _Fuck you!_ " from the bathroom. Small mistake made, the brat would get over it.

Even so, if he made sure to keep his wine and food out of reach for the brat to poison then it was just coincidence.


	4. Chapter 4

**Scarlet-Roads: Hey, I am not dead! Updates are slow, but still coming.**

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„You look so cute, Al—Red! Look! We could be brothers!" Lavi said, grinning at the scowling boy in front of him. Red´s hair almost matched his from the vibrant color. Cross simply sat on the couch, watching the scene unfold.

"Fuck off, like I would be related ta someon´ like ya. Why ta fuck are we even here to begin with?!" Violet eyes turned to narrow at Cross, Neah simply standing near the other boy, but not speaking. Though when someone looked at him for too long, he´d started fidgeting like he was just shy.

Smart bastard he was.

"That would be because of me, Red. If you would follow me, you two." Komui smiled, moving to another room and leaving the door wide open, while Lavi pouted at the harsh words. Red didn´t look pleased at all and Cross waited for what he would do. Nodding when two pairs of eyes came to rest on him, the brats slowly moved to the door.

"Fuck it…"

"Come on." Neah said lowly, moving a bit faster as Red followed him at a slower pace, eyeing the open door like it was a gate way to hell. Knowing him, he probably thought it was.

The door soon was closed and Cross finally took the time to enjoy a cigarette of his.

"Allen sure is cute at this age. He reminds me of Yuu-chan a bit. Hey, Lena, how about we make these two met? I would love to see that!" Lavi turned to his female friend with a mischievous grin on his face. The boy was entertaining for sure, though the unhealthy rage and hate was a bit of a concern. But that held nothing compared to his older friend, who looked so familiar it was slowly driving him insane. Lavi wasn´t a Bookman for nothing, he´d seen the slight changes in the boy´s emotion and it frankly freaked him out a bit.

That child reminded him a bit too much of the Noah of Dreams.

"Lavi! Allen´s not himself right now, you can´t just throw him at Kanda!" Lenalee disapproved of the idea immediately. She wasn´t sure if it was more for her now little friend or for the tall swordsman, considering she had a feeling that Allen wouldn´t take kindly to being used as entertainment object and the personality of the two would clash, horribly.

Or maybe they would be the best friends, since they were alike. That or worst enemies.

She wasn´t sure what scared her more.

"But-!" Lavi´s protest was cut of by a loud scream echoing and Cross was ripping the door open in a second, having moved from the couch as fast as possible as the others jumped, startled by the noise.

"GET THAT FUCKIN´ THING AWAY FROM ME; YOU INSANE WANKER!"

Not blinking at the odd scene in front of him, Cross reached out, grabbing the back of Red´s shirt and pulled the snarling boy out of the room, making him drop the scalpel he´d been holding while Neah merely stepped out after him, eyeing the blood.

"Brat! _Calm_ _the fuck down_!" Cross´s booming voice had little to almost no effect on the boy, who bared his teeth like an animal as he breathed raggedly. Chest moving wildly with the movement of his pounding heart.

"You fuckin´ lied ta me! Ya said nobody would try ta hurt me, ya bastard!" Red twisted and struggled in the hold and Cross had the urge to rub his temples. Komui stumbled out of the room, looking pale and worried as he held his bleeding arm. Lenalee rushed to his side to check him.

"I…I wouldn´t have hurt you." The words sounded filled with disbelief and sorrow as the scientist gently shoved his sister aside. There was something heavy laying on his stomach at the violent reaction his actions had caused. Going near the boy with something sharp wasn´t the best course of action.

"Ya right, just wanted ta look at my arm, ya dirty liar. I ain´t stupid! Ya held a freakin´ knife in yer hand and giggled like a luniac!" Red hissed, eyes wild as he tried to punch the hand holding him. Cross shot the pale scientist a glare, before sighing and glancing at the other boy inside the room.

Oh well…

Scoping up Neah with the other hand, he held them both like miss-behaving kittens or in Red´s case a dog that´s trying to tear everything apart. No wonder the insane Earl had named him after a mutt, it fitted perfectly.

Though, Red might not like to think so.

"I am getting you back for this, Cross!" Neah´s voice was low and Cross snorted, ignoring the way the hair on the back of his neck stood up. The other may be a murderous psychopath disguised in a child´s body right now, but at least, Cross could cause him some embarrassment.

Knowing how touchy the other was, it would result in a horrible death once the other didn´t need him anymore. Then again, there was always the option of throwing the boy at the Earl now and let him fuss over his _adorable little brother_.

The mental picture was something he wouldn´t wish for his worst enemy.

Ignoring the yells for him to wait, he simply walked on, shooting each person in the hallway that turned to stare a glare worthy for the Earl or men who hit their woman. Most of them scurried away, stumbling into each other in their hurry.

"Pussies…" Although the brat still looked ready to bite of heads, he had a point. Cross lightly shook him in warning. As amusing as it would be to see Red try to fight his way through the hall, that would mean that the brat could slip away and Cross wasn´t eager about searching for his missing pupil. The kid probably picked up on his techniques to disappear.

Now he almost pitied the poor fools in the Order if the Idiot finally said he had enough and pulled such an act. That the boy had the ark at his disposal didn´t help in the least. They wouldn´t find him again, simply because the boy himself would have no idea where he was.

Bristly walking towards his room, he opened the door and threw the brats onto the bed, the door slamming shut behind him.

"Listen up, brat. I personally don´t give a shit, but you have to be careful in whom you try to maim. I can´t guarantee your safety if you try to fight _everything that moves_. These idiots you just saw? They are _harmless_ , except if you hurt the girl. The guy you injured would send a robot after you. Now, no more trying to hurt anybody if you aren´t sure you can hide the body and make sure it _stays_ down, got it?"

The boy had balls, not everyone would stare him in the eye like that. That was as pleasing as it was annoying at the moment. Seeing as glaring into submission didn´t work, Cross crossed the distance and raised a hand not anticipating the reaction he got in return.

Red _flinched_. The brat fucking _flinched_ so violently that Cross thought he had a seizure.

Lightly driving his knuckles into the boy´s head, he pinched a cheek and lightly tugged at the red strands. Neah had suddenly gone very stiff at the reaction, eyeing the boy with a dead stare, though from the way his hands clenched the bed sheets underneath him, it was a surprise they didn´t rip under the force.

"Don´t make me spank you. I can´t hit you because that will make you lose the low number of brain cells you have." The puzzlement in the frown the boy shot him shouldn´t be there in the first place, Cross reasoned with himself as he squashed the anger that sparked.

If anyone came close to hit _his_ kid, they´d face the full force of Judgment. That was a right only reserved for him and maybe the brat´s enemies.

Shoving his hat onto the brat´s head, he strode towards the door, looking over his shoulder as he gripped the door knob.

"Brat number two, don´t corrupt…you know what, don´t corrupt _each other_ while I am gone. Also, _stay_ in the fucking room. Tim stay with them." With that he went out, pulling out another cigarette after locking the door.

As if he´d trust them to stay put.

Now, where to look for that nerd with the glasses his apprentice was so fond off?


End file.
